Cracking Codes With Python

Learn how to program in Python while making and breaking ciphers—algorithms used to create and send secret messages! After a crash course in Python programming basics, you’ll learn to make, test, and hack programs that encrypt text with classical ciphers like the transposition cipher and Vigenère cipher. You’ll begin with simple programs for the reverse and Caesar ciphers and then work your way up to public key cryptography, the type of encryption used to secure today’s online transactions, including digital signatures, email, and Bitcoin. Each program includes the full code and a line-by-line explanation of how things work. By the end of the book, you’ll have learned how to code in Python and you’ll have the clever programs to prove it! You’ll also learn how to: - Combine loops, variables, and flow control statements into real working programs - Use dictionary files to instantly detect whether decrypted messages are valid English or gibberish - Create test programs to make sure that your code encrypts and decrypts correctly - Code (and hack!) a working example of the affine cipher, which uses modular arithmetic to encrypt a message - Break ciphers with techniques such as brute-force and frequency analysis There’s no better way to learn to code than to play with real programs. Cracking Codes with Python makes the learning fun!

Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python will teach you how to make computer games using the popular Python programming language—even if you’ve never programmed before! Begin by building classic games like Hangman, Guess the Number, and Tic-Tac-Toe, and then work your way up to more advanced games, like a text-based treasure hunting game and an animated collision-dodging game with sound effects. Along the way, you’ll learn key programming and math concepts that will help you take your game programming to the next level. Learn how to: –Combine loops, variables, and flow control statements into real working programs –Choose the right data structures for the job, such as lists, dictionaries, and tuples –Add graphics and animation to your games with the pygame module –Handle keyboard and mouse input –Program simple artificial intelligence so you can play against the computer –Use cryptography to convert text messages into secret code –Debug your programs and find common errors As you work through each game, you’ll build a solid foundation in Python and an understanding of computer science fundamentals. What new game will you create with the power of Python? The projects in this book are compatible with Python 3.

* * * This is the old edition! The new edition is under the title "Cracking Codes with Python" by Al Sweigart * * *Hacking Secret Ciphers with Python not only teaches you how to write in secret ciphers with paper and pencil. This book teaches you how to write your own cipher programs and also the hacking programs that can break the encrypted messages from these ciphers. Unfortunately, the programs in this book won't get the reader in trouble with the law (or rather, fortunately) but it is a guide on the basics of both cryptography and the Python programming language. Instead of presenting a dull laundry list of concepts, this book provides the source code to several fun programming projects for adults and young adults.

Best-selling author Al Sweigart shows you how to easily build over 80 fun programs with minimal code and maximum creativity. If you’ve mastered basic Python syntax and you’re ready to start writing programs, you’ll find The Big Book of Small Python Projects both enlightening and fun. This collection of 81 Python projects will have you making digital art, games, animations, counting pro- grams, and more right away. Once you see how the code works, you’ll practice re-creating the programs and experiment by adding your own custom touches. These simple, text-based programs are 256 lines of code or less. And whether it’s a vintage screensaver, a snail-racing game, a clickbait headline generator, or animated strands of DNA, each project is designed to be self-contained so you can easily share it online. You’ll create: • Hangman, Blackjack, and other games to play against your friends or the computer • Simulations of a forest fire, a million dice rolls, and a Japanese abacus • Animations like a virtual fish tank, a rotating cube, and a bouncing DVD logo screensaver • A first-person 3D maze game • Encryption programs that use ciphers like ROT13 and Vigenère to conceal text If you’re tired of standard step-by-step tutorials, you’ll love the learn-by-doing approach of The Big Book of Small Python Projects. It’s proof that good things come in small programs!

Develop a greater intuition for the proper use of cryptography. This book teaches the basics of writing cryptographic algorithms in Python, demystifies cryptographic internals, and demonstrates common ways cryptography is used incorrectly. Cryptography is the lifeblood of the digital world’s security infrastructure. From governments around the world to the average consumer, most communications are protected in some form or another by cryptography. These days, even Google searches are encrypted. Despite its ubiquity, cryptography is easy to misconfigure, misuse, and misunderstand. Developers building cryptographic operations into their applications are not typically experts in the subject, and may not fully grasp the implication of different algorithms, modes, and other parameters. The concepts in this book are largely taught by example, including incorrect uses of cryptography and how "bad" cryptography can be broken. By digging into the guts of cryptography, you can experience what works, what doesn't, and why. What You’ll Learn Understand where cryptography is used, why, and how it gets misused Know what secure hashing is used for and its basic propertiesGet up to speed on algorithms and modes for block ciphers such as AES, and see how bad configurations breakUse message integrity and/or digital signatures to protect messagesUtilize modern symmetric ciphers such as AES-GCM and CHACHAPractice the basics of public key cryptography, including ECDSA signaturesDiscover how RSA encryption can be broken if insecure padding is usedEmploy TLS connections for secure communicationsFind out how certificates work and modern improvements such as certificate pinning and certificate transparency (CT) logs Who This Book Is For IT administrators and software developers familiar with Python. Although readers may have some knowledge of cryptography, the book assumes that the reader is starting from scratch.

Now in the 5th edition, Cracking the Coding Interview gives you the interview preparation you need to get the top software developer jobs. This book provides: 150 Programming Interview Questions and Solutions: From binary trees to binary search, this list of 150 questions includes the most common and most useful questions in data structures, algorithms, and knowledge based questions. 5 Algorithm Approaches: Stop being blind-sided by tough algorithm questions, and learn these five approaches to tackle the trickiest problems. Behind the Scenes of the interview processes at Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, Yahoo, and Apple: Learn what really goes on during your interview day and how decisions get made. Ten Mistakes Candidates Make -- And How to Avoid Them: Don't lose your dream job by making these common mistakes. Learn what many candidates do wrong, and how to avoid these issues. Steps to Prepare for Behavioral and Technical Questions: Stop meandering through an endless set of questions, while missing some of the most important preparation techniques. Follow these steps to more thoroughly prepare in less time.

Learn to evaluate and compare data encryption methods and attack cryptographic systems Key Features Explore popular and important cryptographic methods Compare cryptographic modes and understand their limitations Learn to perform attacks on cryptographic systems Book Description Cryptography is essential for protecting sensitive information, but it is often performed inadequately or incorrectly. Hands-On Cryptography with Python starts by showing you how to encrypt and evaluate your data. The book will then walk you through various data encryption methods,such as obfuscation, hashing, and strong encryption, and will show how you can attack cryptographic systems. You will learn how to create hashes, crack them, and will understand why they are so different from each other. In the concluding chapters, you will use three NIST-recommended systems: the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), the Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA), and the Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA). By the end of this book, you will be able to deal with common errors in encryption. What you will learn Protect data with encryption and hashing Explore and compare various encryption methods Encrypt data using the Caesar Cipher technique Make hashes and crack them Learn how to use three NIST-recommended systems: AES, SHA, and RSA Understand common errors in encryption and exploit them Who this book is for Hands-On Cryptography with Python is for security professionals who want to learn to encrypt and evaluate data, and compare different encryption methods.